Should we set intentions for 2014?

So here we are, the last day of 2013. 

Upon reflecting on what has happened during the year 2013, I can say that there is no possible way I could have planned ANY of it. There has been such a wide array of blessings, challenges, and shifts that most of my intentions or resolutions either didn't come to pass, or took on a much greater form then I had initially imagined.

And now that its time to make a whole new set of intentions, I am brought to a pause. Perhaps deciding upon resolutions is not what I should be doing. Perhaps I need to be focused on activation. 

Allow me to expand. Setting a resolution is, by its very nature, placing intention or vision into the future. Its saying, "This is what I hope to accomplish, as 2014 proceeds". Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with that, but given my experience in life, setting intentions never pans out the way I intend. So instead, I am moved to make tonight about activating a greater awareness, a more full sense of being, a more harmonious experience with my loved ones, and bring those energies into the birth of a new year. 

I recently came across a new word for my vocabulary; entelechy, which was coined in the Aristotelian philosophy as meaning the "the realized potential of some thing or concept". In other words, the rose in full bloom is the entelechy of its seed. Our higher self is the entelechy of our local self. 

Bearing this in mind, I feel it is appropriate to activate my own entelechy or higher self at the beginning of 2014, rather then just make a to-do list. The reason is that we really don't know what the coming year will bring for us, although holding in consciousness our greatest good each day is intrinsic to creating an avenue for its expression, bringing forth what is eternally True in the here and now is essential in its expression. 

Therefore, tonight, let us not reflect on the year past and create a mere list of things we wish to accomplish. Instead let us make a declaration to the Universe that what we Activate here and now is what we wish to bring with us throughout the entirety of 2014. It doesn't have to be elaborate, but ensure there is a powerful and clear vision you choose to embody now so that each day you can return to it if you've lost focus for a moment.

You may want to meditate and pray, calling forth the entelechy of your being to have expression in this moment, and declare to life that this is who and what I am, and what I choose to create this day forward. We must not forget the power behind our words and through activating our higher self we bring the entirety of the kosmos to bear on those words. 

AUM

Does emotion effect our body? Apparently, BIG TIME.

I was doing my morning news search, looking for inspiration for different topics, and an article on Gizmodo caught my eye. Apparently, researchers from Finland have been able to visually map where emotions express themselves in the body. 

Photo Source: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19b38w32meciopng/ku-xlarge.png

Happiness

What struck me as most interesting is the focus all of these emotions seem to have around the heart. Obviously, the heart has always corresponded with the "feeling center" of the body, but not on a physical level. In metaphysics, when we refer to the "heart center", we rarely mean the actual heart, but more accurately mean the center of our subtle self. 

From this photo, we can discern some very important information about how our emotions effect us physically, which can lead to a greater understanding of how our mental and emotional states have a direct influence on our health.

For example, Happiness is a full body experience. It literally touches every part of the body with a glowing warmth. In an article from Science Daily, researches followed over 5,000 university students for 40 years, and determined that the individuals who were less then optimistic as students seem to die earlier then their "happy" counterparts. This reveals that maintaining a positive mind/emotional state leads to longevity and better, overall health.

Depression

Taking a look at the visual of depression, we see that the body is almost complete void of the same brilliance that is expressed when we are happy, and instead is made up primarily of the cold blue. From what I understand, brighter colors mean warmth, bluer colors represent cold. In a state of depression, it would seem that the revitalizing warmth of contentment is vacant. What kind of effects might this have on our health? 

In most cases, depression is linked with a lack of self-esteem either enforced by the self, or by those around us. It has spawned an entire generation of people who are forced to take medication just to remain productive within society. Of course, this should not be the aim of medicine, but that's a topic for another time. It does reveal that society is not designed to fulfill happiness, but to keep it perpetually out of reach so that we always have something to chase.

There is also a great deal of evidence that suggests that depression can and does lead to thoughts and acts of suicide. It as if the vitalizing force (expressed as brilliant light) is inactive in the body, much like being cut off from the "tree of life", sapping our will to live. Altogether, this reveals more evidence that how we think about our lives has a direct impact on how we experience our life.

Neutral

If we take a look at the picture which shows the body as neutral, we find that both the brilliance of happiness AND the cold, blue of depression is not present. This raises a whole new set of questions, such as is "neutral" considered the natural state of the body? Should we not strive for happiness, and instead journey towards a state of perpetual neutrality? 

I suppose it depends on who you ask, but in popular spiritual circles, the concept of Non-Duality is perceived as the natural state of existence, or the basis from which all noumena and phenomena emerge. But does non-duality correspond with neutrality? And if so, does this mean that the universe is primarily neutral to how life expresses? To quote Ernest Holmes, 

The Universe is impersonal. It gives alike to all. It is no respecter of persons. It values each alike. Its nature is to impart, ours to receive. - Science of Mind

There is many different ways to interpret this information. We can say that the brilliant light of happiness can activate greater inspiration and creativity, while depression may suppress those same qualities. Neutrality may be seen as a state of inactive activity, or in other words, we are not being propelled by either emotion or thought, and are centered in a place of stillness. Or perhaps, neutrality is a receding from both emotional connection or mental projection? 

I suppose you can take from this what you want, and I would love to hear some thoughts on what this might mean for future understandings of how thoughts and emotions may impact our overall health.

AUM

A Global Planetary Shift

A global shift in consciousness is not something that most people talk about, or are even aware of in a general sense. It's not a topic that gets put in front of world leaders very often, if ever at all. Such a phenomena seems to only exist within the minds of an emergent population of people who have, in one way or another, been exposed to these kind of idea's.

Exposure to it may have seemed like happenstance at first, but as time moves on, happenstance gives way to synchronicity, and accident inevitably succumbs to cause and effect. As more and more people begin to take a closer look at life, and the questions life pose, it becomes ever more evident that something very dramatic is occurring in the unseen realms of consciousness and its many expressions.

Last year, there was a very large event that took place all around the world. It was called Birth 2012, hosted and administrated by Stephen Dinan and Barbara Marx Hubbard, including their whole team over at the Shift Network. They provided a platform and framework for millions of people around the world to join together to celebrate what Barbara coined “the Birth of a Universal Humanity”.

I personally took part in this event, and working with a team, we coordinated a similar yet smaller gathering in Toronto. The event was a success overall, considering it was the first one I had participated in of such a magnitude, and it gave way to a year of intense transformations and insight. I am very grateful to have been exposed to the idea's of Conscious Evolution, which Barbara and many others have assisted in sharing around the world.

An exact year from that event, on December 22nd 2013, the Shift Network hosted an online summit of many of the same leaders of the preceding Birth event, to talk about what has begun to emerge since then. I was also present for most of this event (except for the very last bit), and was able to take some notes on what was shared. I will attempt to outline some of what was brought forward, but will really try to focus on detailing some of the important concepts that are inherent with this Planetary Shift in Consciousness, for those of you who are being exposed to these types of idea's for the first time.

What is “Conscious Evolution”

It seems only fair to start with a brief outline of how conscious evolution is defined, to establish a coherent understanding for the following material.

“Conscious evolution refers to humanity’s new ability to choose what the species Homo Sapiens becomes in the future. This new ability is based on recent advancements in science, medicine, technology, psychology, sociology, and spirituality. Conscious evolution places human beings at the crest of the ongoing evolution of the universe, providing a larger perspective of human potentials “ - Wikipedia

Barbara Marx Hubbard expands on this definition on her website Foundations for Conscious Evolution by adding;

“Conscious Evolution: The evolution of evolution from unconscious to conscious choice as humans gain powers of co-destruction and co-creation. The natural capacity of a universal species to co evolve with nature and co-create with Spirit.”

The implications of Conscious Evolution shine a ray of hope on a world that seems to be spiraling into chaos and self-destruction. In the midst of all this dis-order and collapse, Conscious Evolution reminds us that extinction is not inevitable, its a choice, and one we make consciously or unconsciously.

And just as we can choose to ignore the plenitude of signs that the way we operate in the world on both an individual and collective level is not working, we can just as easily choose to change our ways, and become vehicles for radical social and spiritual transformation, and prevent the extinguishing of the light of our species from the planet.

This emerging new world view (which is really a Cosmic view, because it includes the entire Universe in its framework) does not omit a single area or sphere of human activity and experience. Every nook and cranny of human society is included when talking about Conscious Evolution, from the judicial system, education, the environment, infrastructure, and spirituality.

I think this is one of the reasons why Conscious Evolution is so attractive. Beyond it being a real hope for humanity to pull ourselves out of the spiraling darkness of ignorance we find ourselves in, we can instead choose to consciously evolve every facet of our lives, regardless of the sphere we directly influence. In other words, it doesn't matter if you teach history, work in a factory, or are a politician in congress, conscious evolution says you are always at choice in how you show up in your life.

There are particular area's that the most recent summit touched on, and each one is integral in its own right. I would like to take some time to touch on each of the subjects that were addressed, and perhaps add a little insight of my own.

Rise of the Divine Feminine

As an important aspect of the overall evolution of our planet and its structures, the Rise of the Divine feminine represents liberation from the suppression of archaic beliefs and ideologies which are still present on our planet. These beliefs and ideologies were the product of a male dominated civilization, that view woman as a less then specimen of the human race, unworthy of respect, opportunity, and compassion.

Even today, if you look around in mainstream media and politics, woman are still being forced into the small boxes of identity which have been imposed for far too long. How a woman is supposed to look, dress, and feel about themselves is made up of cultural stories that are centuries old, and that only reflect an unwillingness to let go of the un-evolved beliefs about the value of woman and the inherent female qualities which find expression through them.

Evidence of this rise can be seen in many different spheres of human society, such as the workplace and home. Woman are no longer feeling forced into the “Mother/Nurturer” archetype that has been their assumed designation, instead feeling the freedom to follow career paths and lifestyles typically thought of as belonging solely to the sphere of men.

However, we are not just discussing the rise of the feminine in society, the focus is the Divine Feminine. So whats the difference? Well, we can see that woman are taking on new and different roles within society, but are they bringing with them the inherent qualities that stood out in the mother/nurture roles they previously stuck too? Or are they succumbing to the influence of the archaic warrior/tribal archetypes of which men are usually associated?

The Divine Feminine is about a spiritual energy, an evolutionary narrative which encompasses a more whole systems approach to evolution that bridges the gap between genders, races, nations, and spirituality. There is a powerful vibration of which the Divine Feminine is attributed, and anyone who has journeyed within and discovered this energy will tell you that it has the capacity of opening deep area's of the mind and heart, paving the way for powerful transformation and healing.

It can also be said that the rise of the divine feminine is about bringing greater equality into a dysfunctional world in desperate need of greater compassion and wholeness if it is to make it out of the downward spiral we find ourselves. Its no secret that the world has been led and controlled by patriarchal ideologies, and with the rise of the Divine feminine, these structures are beginning to give way to a more advanced and evolved version of human society.

And whats also very important is that this rise has just as much to do with men as it does with woman. Never before have so many men embraced and surrendered to the powerful feminine energies that have been suppressed for countless centuries. Most of how society has been formed and governed is a direct result of this suppression, and as more woman open to the nature of these energies, they are becoming way showers for men to do the same.

Feminine qualities which were at first seen as signs of weakness are becoming increasingly associated with qualities of spiritual strength and integrity. As more men are finding acceptance within themselves to feel and express emotions, the divide which has been created by these “differences” between men and woman are disappearing, allowing for greater co-creative capacities and holistic expressions.

The world is in need of a heavy dose of feminine energies and qualities. Its time for men to reflect on what cultural stories they are being told and believing in, so that an inner space can be allowed for a more fuller expression of our spiritual constitution can be made.

The Co-Creative Masculine

In concert with the rise of the divine feminine, many men are being shown how the qualities of their masculinity has been misused and misrepresented in human society. Typically, men are forced into the small confines of the “Warrior/Tribe Leader” archetypes, which include negative emotions like anger and jealousy (a result of true emotions be suppressed), characteristics such as control, dominance, aggressiveness, and competition.

As more men are feeling free to let go of these old archetypes, a greater capacity for true relationships with woman emerge. Throughout the course of history, boys were growing up to fulfill the demands of the Warrior/Tribe Leader archetype, and this created a vast divide between men and woman. Men felt compelled to dominate woman, and suppress their feminine qualities which seemed to directly oppose the ideologies men thought were natural for them to inherit.

While men begin to let go of the "old roles" they are used to living within, they are becoming more free to embrace a new type of relationship with woman as well as with themselves. A new quality of experience in the lives of men is opening up, as more men open their hearts and minds to the co-creative potential that exists with woman, through the re-defining of masculinity and what it means to be a man.

To quote Barbara from the Planetary Birthday summit;

"Evolution of the masculine encourages the love for the feminine". 

This is a powerful statement. We are shifting into an era where the qualities of the Divine feminine are being highlighted as strengths rather then dismissed as weaknesses, and these qualities are finding expression in the lives of men around the world. This creates a harmonious stream of communication between men and woman, allowing for greater understanding, synergy, and co-creation.

On a collective level, the patriarchal structures which have dominated our world for so long are falling apart, due to no longer reflecting what humanity considers true. Of course there will be resistance, however the more men and woman who break free from these outdated archetypes and belief structures, the more we can all integrate a more balanced and holistic expression of life on the planet.

Birthing a Global Culture of Oneness

This seems to be the real creamy center of the Shift Movement.

On both an individual and collective level, Global Oneness represents the drastic shift of consciousness many people are experiencing, as the old gives way to the new. Though, what does a global culture of Oneness look like?

One of the key characteristics of Oneness is a stable and coherent platform for communication. And through the advancements of technology, this is no longer a mere possibility, its a reality. The internet has birthed a powerful age of information and sharing, which is assisting in creating this culture of Oneness. The separation of distance and time is no longer a barrier for growth, as information can be shared instantaneously from one side of the earth, to the other.

And with this 'instant' sharing of information, national lines are being blurred, as more and more people are 'letting go' of their national identity’s in favor of their human or global identity. There is a growing feeling of responsibility for the world, rather then just our own backyard. The sense of “Universality” is being birthed out of the decaying sense of isolation and individualism.

There is also a powerful surge of 'unity' forming around the world, as the common discrimination’s that were socially accepted in the past are no longer finding a willing audience. Differences based on gender, sexual orientation, race, and creed are finding greater acceptance in the world, allowing for a greater capacity for compassion, co-creation, and community.

Another area that is experiencing a drastic shift would be the sphere of religion and spirituality. All over the globe, people of differing beliefs and faiths are seeking a common ground for discussion and shared experience. The concept of God and how this divine reality is experienced has birthed a more universal language for expression, allowing for a cultural and societal 'merging' never before seen on Earth.

This 'unification' is the deepening of shared, spiritual experience. A dialogue has opened up to traverse the myriad concepts, personal experiences, and philosophies that each spiritual and religious faith brings to the table, allowing greater collective understanding. Through this universal language, more and more people are given the opportunity to express and experience deeper recesses of their being, which births greater authenticity and creativity in their own, respective lives.

And as more and more people endeavor upon their personal, spiritual journey's, the world is seeing more spiritual and cultural leaders stepping up to help guide their brothers and sisters of humanity during these interesting, and sometimes turbulent times. And this is something that the world needs desperately. This leadership leads to greater innovation and genius, as we come together in both consciousness and action, to take on the most prominent crises that we face.

Another intrinsic evolution in the realm of spirituality and religion is the growing understanding that God or Spirit is, at first, an inward journey of exploration and discovery. To quote Steve Farrel, one of the speakers during this summit;

"Connecting with Gods Love Within, and expressing it outward"

I feel this sums up the global Gnosis that both mystic and mainstream spirituality is experiencing. That Truth lies within, and once we tap into it, every avenue of our experience is touched in the most beautiful and profound way. And now, through the medium of the internet, this experience can be shared with more of the world, adding to the far reaching impacts of authentic, spiritual experience.

Emergence of Conscious Media

It can be said that mainstream media has become defiled by the interests of corporations and governments, to control the information people receive on a daily basis. Again, with the advent of the internet and all of the wonderful opportunities it provides, a growing number of people are tapping into an entirely new source of information.

Before, the mainstream was really all there was for current affairs and news. Though, its not hard to believe that what the mainstream offers is nothing but topic-specific propaganda designed to control opinion, rather then inform it. Now a days we have an endless supply of podcasts, magazines, radio shows, documentaries, and countless other streams of media that provide us with a wide range of differing opinions and sources of information. And throgh these mediums, people have the opportunity to learn about certain things that they otherwise would never hear about. 

And its because of this that we are bringing forth a much more informed and intelligent society, which can lead to greater, collective evolution and co-creation. In fact, during this summit Sandra de Castro Buffington and Karen Everett, spoke about the growing demand for Pro-Social content on their respective media outlets. This just goes to show that centralized media is no longer offering what the people want, and with the myriad of alternatives, is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

So much of the alternative media is highlighting the power that lies in the hands of what may be considered ordinary people. Obvious demonstrations of social change and evolution are being shared on mediums such as YouTube and Conscious television networks around the world. This type of media has inspired a generation of people to become more active in their communities to “be the change”, rather then expect governments or leaders to do it first.

What else is interesting is the form that the new media is presenting this information. It was mentioned in the summit that the most powerful method of shifting consciousness through media, was through story-telling, which seems to have become a long lost art, used by earlier forms of civilization to convey both history and meaning. Most modern religions were born from oral teachings, passed on from master to student thousands of years ago. And now this powerful tool is re-emerging, assisting us in this global shift in consciousness.

As a greater extent of pro-social content appears in mainstream avenues of media, a natural expansion of awareness is taking place, as people are becoming increasingly more conscious of the many social, and technological innovations designed to respond to the various crises that we face as a species. This influx of shared information will “speed up” the shift in consciousness, allowing for greater change to take place in a shorter period of time.

How this media impacts our overall evolution has to deal with a concept revealed to us through Vladimir Vernadsky and Teilhard de Chardin known as the Noosphere. Essentially, the Noosphere is the “human thinking sphere”, which is constituted through the interaction of human minds. A prevailing belief is that all of Life shares One Mind (Mind of God), and the Noosphere is the particular sphere that is the medium in which this mind is shared.

The evolution of the Noosphere is directly effected by the amount of information that humans, as a collective, have access to. The more people who are subject to thoughts and idea's similar to those shared in Conscious Evolution, the more people will become social leaders focused on evolving and developing a new way of life in the world.

Oneness is Business

An sphere of human activity that is in dire need of evolution would be the business/commerce sector. In the western world, capitalism has become the prevalent module used when practicing business which has led to the rape and pillage of the earth's finite resources and an incredible divide between the rich and poor. The new vision for business is to incorporate the qualities and values of Oneness into the business sphere, to birth a more harmonious and sustainable module for humanity to implement.

As mentioned before, a whole generation of people are becoming social leaders in their respective fields, choosing to become entrepreneurs to share their insight and talents with the world. This surge of more harmonious consciousness in the sphere of business is leading to elevated business practices, or companies that are finding ways to unify consciously driven products and services that respect the environment and the consumer, while still maintaining a moderate profit margin.

In the summit, one speaker, Bharat Mitra, said;

“Business, in its true essence, is meant to be a vehicle to serve, a vehicle to bring value into society, where profit is merely a by-product, rather then the focus.”

It is this type of awareness that leads to a great healing within the sphere of business. It would seem that some where down the line, people forgot that business is organized service in lieu of focusing on profits alone, which has led to damaging business practices which bring harm to both the earth and its systems, as well as the consumers. Also, the consumer population is beginning to evolve in their sense of what a meaningful product or service is, which forces more and more companies to evolve their current business modals.

Another outdated modal for business's includes the idea of competition. For a long while it was thought that competition is what moved the economy forward, and was the cause of greater ideas and innovation. And this may have been true for a time, but with so many critical elements of our society falling apart, there is a much greater need for cooperation and synergy in stead of competition. The possibilities that are birthed through working together, sharing information and resources, far exceeds those found through competition alone. 

We can see this in a smaller scale, as more and more “smaller” organizations and business's are choosing to merge so as to expand their reach and improve the quality of their product/service that they offer to humanity. A product or service's quality expands exponentially when we unify our genius and efforts, and having the need for profit to remain as a by product rather then the goal.

Grassroots HUBS for the New Culture

Finally, the concept of Grassroots organizations and HUBS was addressed, which I found particularly interesting because this is where I see the real power of the people taking shape. Reliance on big corporations and governments has never led to positive, systemic evolution. Instead, it has been the efforts of Grassroots movements that have re-directed the attention of society, re-aligned our communities focuses, and brought a quality of harmonization to how we operate as a collective.

With a growing desire to be “connected” throughout the world, movements and HUBS such as these are becoming increasingly popular, and as they grow in presence and power, we can expect more sustainable change to take place in our communities. The new paradigm of unity, love, peace, and compassion is taking root in the consciousness of humanity, bringing forth more and more social leaders who are providing the opportunity for more people to get involved in their local communities. This is where the change takes place.

There have been several innovations in the methods we use to come together and share information. One such example would be the Vistar Method, designed by Victoria and Ron Friedman. Essentially, its an evolutionary modal to organize and execute a gathering so as to facilitate the greatest amount of insight and collective wisdom for co-creation, communication, collective awakening.

And as mentioned before, reliance on mainstream media to promote pro-social ideas and concepts, or to bring together coherent and meaningful information is simply not viable. And it is because of this that collectives at the grassroots level is so important to inform the public of the real potentials that exist, to be internalized and executed together.

In Conclusion

The summit itself was informative, and I hope that I was able to outline what was shared as completely as possible. The Shift Movement is one of many powerful campaigns ushering in the New Paradigm, and anchoring us all into the consciousness of Oneness, Peace, and Sustainability.

There is so many different ways each of us can get involved within our local communities to “be the change”, and assist in shifting from Ego to Essence (as Barbara would say). With so many different crises facing humanity, it is going to take the collective genius, effort, and the utilization of our evolutionary powers to turn the tide, and bring forward a world where Love, Peace, and Prosperity for all is the pillars holding us up.

Richest Blessings!

Blog (and Life) Updates

So its been almost 2 months since my last entry, and I will be honest, I have been looking into a different blogging service to put my articles and essays that I share. After some searching, it dawned on me that starting fresh is completely unnecessary, and I would much rather have the transformations I am going through to be shared in the same space I've used for over 2 years. 

As you can see, there have been some layout and design changes made (as well as the title). I've also recently returned to my given name, since I have begun exploring freelance writing as a viable, employment opportunity. Grimm Greyes is not dead, just want to keep my identity consistent throughout all of my social media and creative outlets. 

I've had some great ideas come up in my mind over the holidays, and I intend on sharing them here as they develop! Some of these ideas have to do with creative writing (a potential RPG), as well as non-fiction (children book series). Everything is still fresh, so nothing beyond that to share, but there will be in the very near future.

Now for the BIG news. 

It looks like my wife and I will be bringing another soul into the world!!! 

We are very excited about this, as is our other two boys. She's only about 13 weeks in, so it looks like we will be having a summer baby. I have a feeling its going to be a girl, but that information has yet to be disclosed. I know my wife would be THRILLED if it were, given that there is already a bunch of testosterone already present in the household. :P 

Well beyond all of this, we've had an amazing holiday break so far and I look forward to sharing more updates in the New Year! Be Happy! Be Joyous! Be Inspired! 

Ryan